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March 4, 2017

Perfume from Provence

ENG I love Peter Mayle's Provence books – and the random coincidences that recycling introduces to my life: Without a book swap I might never have bumped into the charming Perfume from Provence, originally published in 1935 and reissued in the 90s, by Lady Fortescue, early forerunner of Mayle.

In altogether seven best-selling books (I just discovered on a site dedicated to the author), Lady Fortescue describes settling in an old farmhouse on the border of Grasse in the early 1930s and the renovation she takes up with her husband, and local craftsmen. In my mind's eye, I can vividly see the outdoor banquet meals served in the garden.

La cabade was upon us! The roof was ON! Then I knew what was expected of us... My husband and I unearthed some blue curtains with which we decorated the inside of the garage, and rigged up a long trestle table. This I covered with blue cloths and decorated with bowls of violets, vases of carnations, and every cut-glass tumbler that I could find. We threw down blue garden cushions on plank benches, and then I drove down to the town and came back laden with bottles of red wine, tins of 'fancy' biscuits which I arranged in little silver cardboard shells on my table... (30)

At grape harvest time, table is set by the easy-going and "merry-eyed Italian bonne", Emilia.

At the end of the day Emilia appeared with lemon juice, syphons, and ice, and was greeted rapturously by the harvesters. The Domaine [this is how the Fortescue family called their Provencal stone house] tee-total drinks gain a more piquant flavour through their presentation. For some reason only known to herself, Emilia gives each drinker his or her ration of fruit juice in a different vessel. They are all part of the same Celadon green service; but I've seen a guest's eyebrow shoot up involuntarily, a twinkle in an eye, or a twist at the corner of a sedate mouth as Emilia presents one portion in an egg-cup, another in a cream-jug, and a really thirsty person with a sugar-basin. We have plenty of crystal jugs and glasses, but these are left in their cupboard. I have never corrected this queer little habit, for it amuses me and reminds me of our early days in Provence before Emilia learned the uses of porcelain, glass, and silver, and of that happy evening when she presented Monsieur and me with a delicious dish of gnocchi served up in a curved tin basin of the English weighing-scales. When Emilia has become perfectly sophisticated she will be far less of a joy. (265)

How sweet! I know what I'd serve to go with the lemon juice: Caramel-coated berry cheesecake (see the recipe below)!

Base: Mix soft butter and other ingredients into a dough. Press mixture onto the bottom and sides of a springform tin and allow to set in the fridge for half an hour. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius, and bake for 10 minutes without the filling.

Filling:Mix the ingredients for the filling. Pour the filling over the base and bake at the bottom of the oven for about 25 minutes. Allow to cool, and decorate with fresh berries.

Caramel sauce: Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil until the sauce thickens (about 5–10 minutes). Allow to cool and pour over the cheesecake. The cheesecake, coated with caramel sauce, is at its best when served fresh.

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Recyclie, that's me, a foodie gone (re)cycling: This blog's all about bicycle riding, living and cooking on a shoestring, and, naturally, recycling, or "repairing, repainting, reinterpreting, reviving, redeploying or simply relishing" – to quote one of my favorite interior designers and authors, Ilse Crawford–, feminine and Finnish style, with an Italian twist. In real life, I'm a Helsinki-based interpreter and translator, as well as the author of "Reilun kaupan ruokaa ja elämää" (Perhemediat, 2009), that is, the first Finnish Fairtrade cookbook.